Rome in a day :( after Tuscany bike tour :) - which plan makes more sense?
 

Hi, I'm traveling with my husband and another couple on a Tuscan Coast bike trip which takes us to Rome for just one day, arriving 12 pm Thursday 5/29; we stay overnight and depart the next morning for home. We're all fit and early 50s. I've been to Rome 3 times (but 20+ years ago); the other 3 have not.

Please give me any feedback to let me know which you would do, or if you think this is entirely too exhausting. I'm a go-go-go person, wanting to see it all, but recognizing that it's not possible, so wanting to maximize the day (within reason and so my husband and the other couple don't hate me after):

PLAN A
~1:30 p.m. - SISTINE CHAPEL After check-in to hotel, taxi to Vatican Museums, with intent to focus on Sistine Chapel (allow 2 hours max).

5:45 "Evening Walk in Rome" by Romeilluminated. The tour is about 2 hours, and seems to aim to give an overview of Rome's main piazzas (Piazza Navona, Trevi fountain...), and may see views of Colosseum.

8:00 Dinner - Trastevere? this seems like it would be a rush to get to the next stop.

10:10ish COLOSSEUM -- night tour (45 minutes)

PLAN B
Same as above, except take a Food tour thru eatingitalytours (Twilight in Trastevere) 4:45 - 8:45 (4 hours) INSTEAD of the "Evening Walk". My foodie sis-in-law took this tour and RAVED. It's pricey at 85 Euros pp tho...

Or should we skip the Evening Walk and the Food tour and just wander around Trastevere (I have very fond memories) and find Happy Hours and an early dinner before the Colosseum -- I'm very interested in the Colosseum.

Thank you so much for any advice. I know there is so much to see in Rome, and it's so sad for me to just pick a couple venues to see.... If I am so lucky, I will return!!!

~Zia

I would do Plan A as you'll see a bit more but do your own walk after the Vatican so you're not regimented. Walking tours are great if you have the time but you want to pack in a bunch of sights and the tour will take up too much time. You could then have dinner in Trastevere and not be rushed.

There are happy hours in Italy? I think I would avoid those places in favor of a normal cafe.

I would advise against any organized tours when you have such a short time. I myself would devote the entire time to self-guided walking tours of the city. I also wouldn't go to the Vatican Museums (where the Sistine Chapel is) nor inside the Colosseum. These are visits that have to be reserved in advance to avoid spending hours on a ticket line, and, as Adrienne says, on a very short visit, it's best not to have your time be too regimented. You can actually see more if you just walk around, with a plan, but also with the possibility of changing it if you see something that attracts you.

On the first day, I would suggest a quick walk around the center, to see Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. Definitely go inside the Pantheon, to see the magnificent cupola, a masterwork of ancient Roman engineering. For over 1000 years, it was the world's largest dome, and it's still the largest unreinforced concrete dome.

Then you could go to St.Peter's Square and the Basilica, which would take a lot less time, and which are usually not crowded in the afternoon; the Basilica closes at 7 in the summer, and after 5 there is almost never a queue to get in. Entry is free; the queue is for a security check.

Then to Trastevere for dinner and a walk around. If you can get there before it closes, I suggest you go into the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of Rome's oldest churches, with beautiful 12th century golden mosaics in the apse. Entry is free, but you can illuminate the mosaics by putting a coin in a little machine, which you should definitely do. The Rome tourist office says it's open to 9, but that must be a recent change, because the last time I was there, it closed earlier than that.

The following morning, I would go to the Colosseum, but just admire it from the outside. Then have a look at the Arch of Constantine, and walk up Via dei Fori Imperiali to get a good overview of the Roman Forum from the street. Halfway up the street, there's a plaque that identifies the more important ancient buildings you can see. Just past the Forum, you can climb up to Piazza del Campidoglio, a magnificent piazza designed by Michelangelo. The central building is the Rome city hall, and the other two house the Capitoline Museums, one of Rome's most important museums, with perhaps the world's foremost collection of ancient sculpture. If you walk around the side of the city hall, you will have a wonderful view of the Forum. The statue in the center of the piazza is a replica of the statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius; the original is inside the museum. There is also a replica of the statue that's a symbol of Rome: the Capitoline wolf suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, who, according to legend, founded the city.

You probably don't have time for a visit to the Capitoline Museums; however, I once went there with a colleague from India who had a very short time for sightseeing in Rome, where she had gone for an academic conference. She had only about 20 minutes to spare before she had to catch a train to the airport, but she thought it worth the entrance price just to see the Capitoline Venus. She wasn't disappointed.

After the visit to the Piazza del Campidoglio, you can walk down the other side of Via dei Fori Imperiali, heading back towards the Colosseum, to see the Imperial forums, Trajan's Market and Trajan's column from the outside.

My suggestions may reflect my own biases; for me, the Colosseum is a great work of Roman architecture, but the inside is not as interesting to me as the outside, and the structure itself has nowhere near the historical significance of the Roman Forum, which is the birthplace of most of our culture.

If you have a burning desire to see the inside of the Colosseum, the night tour is a good opportunity.

An early dinner is a rare bird in Rome, and I never heard of a happy hour here. Given the number of tourists in Rome, it's possible that the custom has been adopted.

Thank you for your replies, and all of your detailed info, bvlenci! I'll certainly consider all your tips, but am still thinking Sistine and Colosseum are musts. We would absolutely reserve in advance with specific times.

I normally am not a big fan of tours (although I have enjoyed food tours!), but with such a short time and not familiar with Rome, it seems the easiest.

Any other comments very welcomed!!!

The Colosseum and Sistine Chapel are only " musts" if you think you will never get back to Rome. As kids in your 50's, I would expect you to have lots more opportunities!

I would do, actually have done, what bvlenci suggests for the first day on our own very first, one-day visit to Rome, so I am prejudiced.

Your Plan A would work with the exception of getting a sit down meal in Trastevere. I don't think you will have time for more than a pizza or snacks at the bar between your walking tours and your Coloseum tours.

I'd skip the Sistine Chapel! Long lines and your 2 hours max might mean a very rushed peek.

I also like bvlenci's plan. The Basilica has lovely views and a self guided walking tour allows you to move at your own pace.
I would go inside the Colosseum though. Love it!

If you really want and need a tour then I suggest booking your own guide. Tailor the tour to your time constraints and wish list!

Bvlenci gave exzellent advice. I would recommend a self-walking tour too - you save a lot of time and money. The most typical and unique attraction of Rome is the Forum Romanum. It. is simply magnificent. Of course, you should See the Colosseum from the Outside. No Need to go Inside - there is nothing inside. I also recommend the Pantheon. There is no Need to have dinner in trastevere - it. has become a tourist trap. Better eat inside 2000-year-old ruins, eg at Costanza. Sorry for the typos - iPhone did it!&@)€!

Forgot to mention that no one in Rome has dinner before 9 pm. If you are hungry before dinner time have a piece of pizza from a streetstand. Never enter a Restaurant that serves dinner before 9 - it will be a rip-off.

That last bit is silly. We had dinner in Rome restaurants before 9 pm, probably 8 at the earliest, just last month. Our meals at Armando al Pantheon and Il Bacaro were both delicious and authentic.

I've lived in Italy for nearly 16 years, and have spent a lot of time in Rome. Normal dinner time where we live is 8 PM, as it is in much of provincial Italy. In rural areas, people eat earlier than that. In Rome, people tend to eat at 9 PM or later. My husband, who grew up in a rural area, would love to eat at 7, while I would prefer to eat at 8. We compromise on 7:30.

Now, there are no restaurants in Rome, no matter how excellent, who want to discourage tourists. That would be insanity from a business point of view. Also keep in mind that many of those tourists are Italians in from the provinces. Most restaurants begin serving dinner at about 8. Some begin even earlier. If you eat early, you won't be eating with many Romans, but you'll often have fairly empty restaurants and great service, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Thank you ALL. Am thinking I should start a new thread to ask:

"If you have only 12 hours in Rome, what would you shoose to see and where would you eat (authentic, not too expensive)."

I will look into Bvlenci's recommendation, but am wondering if we can fit in the colosseum on Day 1, as we do not really have a Day 2 (unless we stay up all night and sleep on the plane --- which is not a bad idea . . . hmmmmm)

I think everyone's answer would be the same as they've already given since you're arriving in Rome at noon and don't have an entire day. No need to start another thread; keep all the answers in one place.

Also everyones answers are not the same.
Art? Gardens? Ancient Rome? the Vatican? leisurely meals or quick snacks? Walks?

It all boils down to what YOU want to do.. not us!

Here's your other thread!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...uld-you-do.cfm